Mira Digital Commerce Agency

What is BigCommerce Catalyst?

BigCommerce Catalyst is the official, open-source starting point for building high-performance headless storefronts on the BigCommerce platform. Think of it not as a traditional theme, but as an Enterprise-grade blueprint for creating a superior shopping experience.

It combines a modern, powerful tech stack, including Next.js, React, and GraphQL, to provide the essential foundation for a composable ecommerce site. The purpose of Catalyst is to give developers a massive head start in building storefronts that deliver:

  • Unmatched Speed: Engineered from the ground up for elite performance, top-tier Core Web Vitals, and near-perfect Lighthouse scores.
  • Total Creative Freedom: It breaks the limitations of traditional templates, allowing for the creation of unique, brand-driven user experiences and complex functionality.
  • Future-Proof Scalability: Built to handle high-traffic events, complex product catalogs, and seamless integrations with any third-party system.

Catalyst provides the foundation, and our expertise is in building your unique, production-ready Enterprise solution on top of it.

Bridging the Gap

From 'One-Click' to Enterprise Production

BigCommerce has made the entry point to headless commerce more accessible than ever, providing a "one-click" start to deploy a Catalyst storefront. This is a brilliant strategy for introducing the power of composable commerce. However, a true Enterprise solution requires moving far beyond this initial step.

A production-ready, high-performance Catalyst storefront requires expert development to handle custom React components, third-party system integrations, strategic API usage, and an optimized hosting strategy on a platform like Vercel. This is the "simplicity-complexity" gap where our value is most critical. We are the expert guides who navigate this complexity to deliver a polished, scalable, and reliable final product.

Our Catalyst Development Services

We offer a full suite of development services focused on maximizing the power of the Catalyst framework.
  • Custom Catalyst Storefront Architecture & Development: We design and build bespoke Catalyst storefronts from the ground up, tailored to your unique brand and functional requirements.
  • Performance Optimization: Our development process focuses on optimizing every aspect of your Catalyst build to deliver exceptional Core Web Vitals and the highest possible Google Lighthouse scores, creating a lightning-fast user experience.
  • Custom React Component Creation for Makeswift: Our developers create the specific, on-brand components your marketing team needs to build and edit pages within the Makeswift visual builder.
  • GraphQL Storefront API Integration: We leverage BigCommerce's GraphQL API for efficient data fetching and can extend its capabilities to integrate with your other business systems.
  • Strategic Migration to Catalyst: We plan and execute seamless migrations from legacy platforms or BigCommerce's Stencil theme framework to a modern Catalyst architecture.
  • Vercel Hosting & Deployment Strategy: We are experts in deploying and managing Catalyst storefronts on Vercel, the preferred hosting platform for Next.js applications, ensuring optimal performance and scalability.
  • Third-Party API & Microservice Integration: We integrate your Catalyst storefront with any third-party service, including headless CMS, search providers, personalization engines, and custom microservices.
Our Catalyst Development Services
DESTACO project

The Award-Winning DESTACO Project

Our 2024 BigCommerce Catalyst Delivery Award was earned through our work with DESTACO, a global leader in high-performance automation and workholding solutions. The project required a sophisticated solution to handle a complex product catalog and unique B2B user requirements. We architected a custom Catalyst storefront that delivered a vastly improved user experience and streamlined their digital operations, showcasing the power of the framework when executed by an expert team.

Card - Headless & Composable Commerce

Build unparalleled experiences with the partner who won the award for Catalyst delivery.

Card - B2B Commerce Solutions

Transform B2B operations with insights from a partner featured on BigCommerce's own B2B podcast.

Card - Omnichannel & Marketplace Growth

Scale across global channels with expert integration of the BigCommerce-owned Feedonomics platform.

Card - AI-Powered Commerce

Leverage the power of BigAI and intelligent tools for personalization and merchandising.

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